


Hot'N'Cold

by Sombraline



Series: Tale of Trust [4]
Category: Loki: Agent of Asgard, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Established Relationship, Jötunn Loki, M/M, The Avengers are Not Amused, Tony is not a Therapist, Warning: Loki, heat wave
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-12
Updated: 2015-11-12
Packaged: 2018-05-01 00:46:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5185787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sombraline/pseuds/Sombraline
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's way too warm, and Tony doesn't show enough sympathy to his Frost Giant of a lover. Someone will pay for it. </p><p>Featuring: Immature Loki, Thor is used to this, Tony is just trying to save the world, Jötun cuddle.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hot'N'Cold

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hypnotically](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hypnotically/gifts).



> And thus comes the last installment of this serie, a small and light oneshot to conclude with the ordinary life at Stark Tower now that things are fixed. Loki is an àss, what can I say?
> 
> Beta'd by the ever lovely Tirelipimpon sur le Chihuahua. Thank you <3

"Tony, you need to do something. I'm too warm."

"And you need to stop dripping on my office floor."

"I'm dying !"

"Don't be silly. Go back in the pool with your brother and let Daddy work."

"Tony, I would kill you if I wasn't so tired."

The billionaire sighed and rolled his eyes, tapping twice on the holographic screen he was working with to close it temporarily. He raised an unimpressed eyebrow at the sight that greeted him behind his desk.

He usually was all for seeing his boyfriend shirtless, but Loki somehow managed to look so defeated and miserable that even his dark green swim trunks looked more sad than sexy. He looked like a depressing One Direction beach video.

"I'm warm," Loki complained again, looking at him desperately.

"So you've said before. Don't think that the kicked puppy look will work any better now than it did an hour ago."

"At least do something to cool the air!"

"I told you, kitty. The repairman will be here tomorrow in the morning for the AC."

"I'll be dead by then, you absolute monster!"

"Now you're just being dramatic," Tony tutted him. "It's, what, 85°F?"

"87°F, Sir", Jarvis rectified politely while Loki whined in the most miserable way.

"I'm dying, Tony. Even the pool water is way too warm. Do something."

"J', can you please guide your father-in-law to the popsicles in the freezer?"

"My internal organs are cooking and you think popsicles will make it okay?"

Tony sighed, rubbing at his eyelids. Honestly, it wasn't that warm. Sure, he had grown up in Malibu, but even the Winter Buddies (Rogers, Barnes and Romanoff) were doing fine with the AC breakdown, taking advantage of the swimming pool and sipping on smoothies. He had been spending the afternoon working with only a fan to keep cool, and he was doing perfectly fine.

"Loki, darling, I know Frost Giants have more trouble with the warmth, but-"

"Don't call me a Frost-"

"But," Tony repeated a little louder, "even though I want nothing as much as to make you happy, there's literally nothing else I can offer you, but the pool and a bowl of ice cream."

"Admit you just want me to leave you alone so you can work on your stupid things."

"I admit. Can't you just make yourself colder with magic?"

"No. Can't you just make the repairman come faster?"

"Brother, are you not coming back to the water?"

"Thor, my friend. Please take your little brother away. I need to work on that reactor and he needs to chill."

"I was telling him the exact same thing not a moment ago, but he insisted on coming to talk to you. Come now, Loki, you will feel better in the water."

"I will avenge for this!"

"Aw, Lock, don't be like that, come on. You know I would help if I-"

The door to Tony's study slammed shut before he could end his sentence. The engineer groaned, while Thor pouted miserably. He did a marvelous job at looking like a mix of an Australian surfer and a wet, sad puppy as he _also dripped on the floor._

"My brother has been very irritable since the temperature rose. I worry for him," he complained, and then looked at Tony like he was awaiting for a solution.

Damn these Asgardians. All of them.

"Thor, buddy, your little brother is a Frost Giant, you told me as much yourself. He's warm, what do you want me to tell you? AC will be fixed tomorrow, he'll be just fine."

The blond didn't look convinced, still looking at the closed door like it had done its best to hurt his feelings.

"Thor? Hello? Look, as I said, I really need to work on-"

"I cannot help but fear for my relationship with Loki, Anthony. Ever since you rescued him from Doom, I... I feel like things haven't been the same."

Tony sighed. Again. Deeply. That reactor really, really needed his attention, and needed it now. His work now meant the difference between a chinese contract of fourteen years to Stark Industries, or to a nuclear facility. But no. No, Asgardians bros had no regards at all for the level of radiations in China. Nope. Or for Tony's repeated statements that he had no interests in taking part in their family therapy.

"Thor. Look. Let me make this as simple as I can. Things haven't been the same alright. You want to know why? Because Loki isn't the same. That's literally -that's the entire thing, right? You were there. Reassure me, you do remember his evil future self-disappearing because Loki changed ?"

"I do," Thor confirmed sadly. "But I thought the other Loki's death meant that my brother would love me still."

"He loves you," Tony stated, refraining from getting up and shaking the blond idiot. Damn these gods. This wasn't his job. "But he doesn't depend of you. See? He doesn't... Ugh. Look, this isn't even for me to explain to you. But he's finally done comparing himself to you all the time, and that's good, because he's nothing like you and... Jesus, Thor, I'm not a therapist."

"My brother found happiness in your arms, Anthony. Do not doubt that I am happy for him. But it feels like he... He doesn't need me anymore."

"Yeah. He doesn't," Tony replied, tapping his fingers against the desk. "Not like he did before, Thor, he doesn't, and that's good, because that was the kind of needing someone that turned into hating that someone sooner than later. And he's just a kid, now, a kid testing his boundaries, making things fit in that new life of his. And still, he loves you. Trust me on this. He'd be miserable if he couldn't call you an idiot a hundred times a day. So stop worrying, go swim with him, be there for him, and please, let me work."

"You truly think as much?"

"I truly, truly do. Please, Thor. Go away."

\----------------

When Tony walked into their bedroom, at two in the morning, the fan was whirring madly. Loki was lying on his back, a hundred percent naked, his long limbs spread over the entire bed, a wet cloth covering his eyes.

"Before you ask," the young god muttered, "I am not moving."

"I was about to ask how I got so lucky as to be welcomed this way, actually."

Loki lifted the cloth enough to glare at him. Tony winced internally.

"Look, I'm sorry, babe, you know I had some important work to take care of. There really is nothing I can do for the heat."

"Right." Another cold glare and the cloth was back down.

"You're really going to be like that? Lock..."

"Don't call me Lock. I'm melting."

"Can you please melt on your half of the bed?"

"I'll make you pay for your lack of compassion."

And still, the godling rolled on his side, one leg and one arm falling miserably on the side of the bed. Tony climbed in and patted his lover's shoulder before bringing a sheet up over himself. He wasn't cold per say, but he didn't want the monster under the bed chopping off his leg. And after Loki's promise of revenge, he knew it might be that literal.

"I love you too, Lock. Sleep well, baby."

"Mmmmnh."

"And Loki?"

"Mwhat ?"

"Not a family therapist."

The bastard smirked. Tony rolled his eyes and went to sleep.

\----------------

Tony woke feeling stiff. Not in the nice way, either, no -his limbs just felt like he had spent the entire night curled up tight on himself. There was a shiver going down his back and he shuddered uncomfortably, reaching for the blanket blindly, only to find zero blanket around.

What the hell?

He squinted, and straightened up a little, closing his arms over his chest.

Holy Christ, it was cold.

How did that make sense? It was 90°F outside. Had been for a week. So what...

Oh, Loki. That little bastard.

"J-J-Jarvis, what the hell did he do?" He muttered, getting out of bed. Oh, god, the floor was cold! Why had he slept in nothing but his boxers already? He grabbed a shirt he had abandoned on a chair, and then a bathrobe, and then searched in his drawers for warm socks, his teeth chattering.

"I am very sorry, Sir, but Master Loki spent the morning coding ever since the AC was fixed. I did not understand what he was up to until the temperature change was made effective. The temperature dropped quickly in the last hour, but recently stabilised at 30°F."

"...Where is he?"

"Having breakfast in the kitchen, Sir."

"I'm going to kill him. Can't you fix this?"

"Master Loki has taken the control of the penthouse's temperature out of my hands, Sir. I am sorry."

"We'll see if I ever teach him to code again, that sneaky little rat," Tony mumbled, putting on a pair of jogging pants underneath the bathrobe with quick, stiff gestures.

"I need to remind you that Master Loki's lessons of magic were conditional to your lessons of coding, Sir."

"Not a word, J."

"Understood, Sir."

Tony made his way out of the bedroom and to the kitchen, very much decided to shake his boyfriend very hard until the temperature turned back to something bearable. He was only just wondering why he was the first to have the common sense to do that, when he came in sight of the strange scene that awaited him in the kitchen.

Loki was sitting at the end of the table, sipping a smoothie and having the nerve to wear only his boxers and a short-sleeved shirt. Next to him was Thor, in a Christmas sweater of all things, smiling like everything was normal. And on the other end of the table, gathered together and looking murderous, Clint, Bruce, Steve and Bucky, all wrapped in varying amounts of layers of clothes including tuques, gloves and scarves.

"Stark, at fucking last", Bucky spat. He was not actually all that wrapped up, but he looked perhaps the angriest of the lot. "Tell your boyfriend to fix this shit. You want Steve to catch a cold or what?"

"Yeah, and you're not telling him yourself because?" Tony asked, disbelieving, his eyes travelling from Steve (whom was wrapped up in so many scarves that it would have been hard to tell it was him, had Bucky not been clinging to him in that distinctive way) to Loki (whom appeared very smug, that little brat).

"Because Conan the Barbarian's in the way? Seriously, Thor, we mortals aren't mean to deal with this crap", Clint complained.

Thor shrugged lightly.

"I remember the humans of old enduring temperatures much colder than this, friend Barton. None of you is in grave danger, and my little brother is feeling good after several days of enduring a warmth that was painful to his system."

It was way too early for this shit. Tony, sometimes, wished he could have dated the god of quiet, lazy mornings in bed. But of course, a trickster's honor had no considerations for such things. Right.

"You know, Thor, when I told you to be there for Loki, I meant, give him a hug," he muttered. "Not, assist him in his mischief."

"What mischief?" Loki had the nerves to grin. "I am merely a little Frost Giant, trying to survive in the harsh warmth of Manhattan."

"You're just trying to get back to me because I ignored you yesterday," Tony sighed tiredly. "And really? I can call you a Frost Giant, now? That's how far you'll go for petty revenge?"

"You look very cute, that way, too, my sweet human burrito."

"Tony, I want to punch your boyfriend in the face. Hard."

"Not helping, Barton. Loki, you're going to make the AC die again, with this cold. You're not helping yourself."

"You're so adorable it's pretty much worth it."

"If anyone is looking for me, I'll be trying to convince Wanda to include me in that bubble of warmth of hers, with Natasha and Pietro," Bruce mumbled. "You call me when this is over and your dads are reasonable, J'."

"I am being reasonable! " Tony protested. " Seriously! For once, I am! Loki, I'm sorry you were hot yesterday. Please, fix the temperature."

"Please, who?"

"Please, Loki, you impossible brat."

The god cocked his head to the side, seemingly pensive for a while. Tony waited, shuddering slightly under his bathrobe, until Loki grinned and got down from his chair, heading for the door with Thor following calmly.

"I think... Not. I'm quite comfortable, actually, as it is. I'll keep it that way for a little while, until I'm recovered from the heat, you know?"

"I'm gonna kill him." Clint groaned as soon as the two Asgardians were out of the room.

"I'll fix it", Tony replied, tiredly. "I'll just work with Jarvis and I'll fix it."

"Steve might get sick before you manage", Bucky said drily. "I'm with Barton."

"Bucky, I can't get sick", Rogers protested after struggling to free his mouth from the twelve scarves wrapped around his neck and mouth.

"Thor won't be able to follow him around the entire day", Clint said, as though there had been no interruption, while Bucky fixed the scarves methodically. "I have a plan."

"Guys, don't make this worse", Tony protested, but the trio was already leaving the room, plotting away, and the billionaire was left shivering and fighting a growing headache. That's what he got for saving the freaking world and dating a diva.

He tried his best to find where Loki had buried the encoding that kept the Tower freezing for the next hours ; a feat made all the more difficult because his fingers were so cold the holographic keyboard wouldn't react to the heat of his body like it should. He had still managed nothing when the screams came, loud and powerful, from the living room.

Clint and Bucky had disappeared already when he made it there, but Loki was still wearing an empty bucket on his head, shirt and hair soaked through with what looked like icy water. Tony only had the time to wonder if his lover had screwed up the tower's lighting as well before he realised why Loki appeared so shockingly blue.

Thor, who had apparently run in from the kitchen at that exact same time, unfortunately understood the same thing at the same instant, backing off a step in shaken surprise. His reaction seemed to shake Loki from his anger toward the petty vengeance perpetrators as he, too, realised what had just happened, and shock washed over his features like the cold shower that had caused his change to his Jötun appearance.

He was stunning. That much, Tony couldn't help but think, disbelieving, in those few brief seconds of shocked silence that followed. That dreaded, 'monstrous' appearance, turned out to be ridiculously beautiful. From Thor and Loki's few descriptions, Tony had expected to see some kind of ugly mix of a Smurf who would have sinned with an Orc from the Lord of the Rings. But his lover... His lover looked nothing other than amazing, with expanses of cobalt skin and those deep rubies for eyes, underneath those strange scars in his forehead...

That was how far Tony got to detailing his lover's look. Then Loki screamed, staring at his hands, and backed off so hurriedly he stumbled against the coffee table and fell on the ground. And the smug bastard from earlier was gone, rushing to cover his face with his hands, to curl up on himself hurriedly, stuttering pleas and orders to look away, to stop looking, to forget what they saw, please, please.

Thor stood there, mouth gaping, a hand extended toward Loki without him seeming to know if he wanted to rush to his side or obey and walk away.

Tony cursed under his breath and broke the distance between himself and his lover, kneeling to his side and quickly pulling him closer. His skin was painfully cold, but Tony was freezing already. Blocking the panicked gesture Loki made to push him back, Tony took ahold of his hands and held them tightly in his. As he had expected, the blue quickly melted away, leaving a freezing pale white underneath.

"Look away! L-l-look away!" The young god struggled, voice breaking desperately. "Don't look, please, please, please-"

"Loki, it's okay", Tony struggled to talk over him, watching with regrets as the blue, the intriguing silver drawings upon it, all washed away to his touch. "It's okay, Lock. Look, the blue is gone, you're alright. You're alright."

It took a few moments for Loki to seem to register what he was saying. His eyes were red still, and wide with terror, when he dared look up, but finding his arms their usual color seemed to be what it took to comfort him. He let himself crumble against Tony's chest, panting deeply.

Thor, shaken from his stupor, gathered the courage to take a step toward them. Loki tensed like a frightened animal ready to make a run for his life. Tony, rubbing his shoulders, shushed him gently. Both brothers hesitated, but after a minute, Thor was sitting on Loki's other side, helping the blue recede.

Tony fully intended to try to talk Loki into showing him that beautiful color again, now that he knew what he was missing. But he knew also when the time was a hundred percent not right for that sort of talk, and when it called for something else.

God, he was turning into a responsible adult. This wasn't fair.

"It's all good, Lock, it's fine. We're going to go and fix the heating and we'll go cuddle for a few hours. How does that sounds?"

Thus ended the first war of temperatures in Stark Tower. Tony had every intention of it being the last one, ever.

\----------------

Loki's ears were still a little blue, as was his neck. Tony very carefully kept that information from him, and also kept him from meeting any mirror as they made it from the lab (where Loki, sniffling, had fixed his misdeed without a word, getting the control of the temperature back in Jarvis' capable hands) to their shared bedroom, after getting Thor to stop following like a confused duckling.

He sat on the end of the bed and gathered the young god in his arms, patting his shoulder. Loki, lower lip still shaking miserably, checked his hands methodically before curling up closer to Tony's chest. And Tony, because he was an absolute saint, resisted the urge to lean closer to get a better look at the silver markings on his ear, and instead gave it a gentle stroke that got it pale again.

"There. Feeling better?" He hummed, stroking his black hair back softly.

A sad little nod came as an answer.

"Barton will pay for this," Loki mumbled.

"What for? His petty revenge over your own petty revenge, to which he was a collateral damage?"

"It was merely a joke."

"Waking up below the freezing point of water will not be taken as a joke by us humans, Lock."

"Oh, come on," the god mumbled, hiding his face in his lover's shoulder. "I was warm. And he laughed at me yesterday. Called me a puny god. That gets old," he muttered, barely audible. "I do jokes, okay? That's what I do. God of Chaos. God of Pranks. It wasn't even harmful. Why do nobody ever find it funny?"

"What was the last not at all harmful prank you pulled?" Tony wondered, raising an eyebrow. "Before turning my tower into a meat locker, that is."

Loki thought about it for a few moments, leaning into Tony's patient caresses. He eventually pouted and shrugged, awkwardly.

"I turned Fandral's wardrobe pink. He had laughed at my horns."

"And he didn't find it funny? I do wonder how that could be."

"Don't patronize me, Tony."

"What was it before that?"

"...Marcus Tyrsson. He beat me up. Woke up speaking like -like the chipmunk things. In that movie."

"That was when Thor dropped you to Latveria before you could get killed?"

Loki pouted, closing his arms on his chest a little defensively.

"It was a joke, Tony, come on. It was... Look, I just made it cold. It was nothing deadly. And Barton played along! He's just begging for me to get revenge!”à"

"Lock, I've said this before, and apparently I'm doomed to say it again, and again, and again, but here goes nothing: I'm not a therapist. But really, that was no joke. That was a mean little attack because your honor was hurt. It's hardly funny, and it didn't end well. Curse me for being the responsible person here, but it doesn't sound to me like you should just do worse and make Clint angrier."

He finished his little speech tilting his head to the side and brushing Loki's hair back to catch a look of the deep green eyes there. He was still a little amazed, seeing them this way after they had burned with such a wild red fire not a moment ago, but he was mostly trying to see if the young god was getting the message. Loki clearly avoided to look up to him, but he looked even more miserable than before.

"I love your ridiculous humour, Loki," he insisted softly when the silence carried on for a while. "Spending April's Fool with you is one of the most traumatising, yet hilarious experience I ever went through. I even enjoy your evil pranks, including the tentacle things, retrospectively. But not when you use them to direct your frustration on us all. You're not in Asgard, Lock. You're with friends."

"I was just making a joke," Loki sniffled abruptly, without looking up. "It was just a joke, Tony, o-okay? I -look, it didn't seem that mean -I was just tired from the heat, and stuff, and I thought it would be f-f-funny, and-"

Aw, tears again, no. Tony winced internally, but only sighed on the outside and wrapped his arms a little more tightly around the emotional, tired, stupid little god crying in his arms again.

"C'me here, Lock. C'me here, it's alright-"

"M-making stupid mean jokes- it's, it's what he would do, a-and it just felt, I just really thought it- it would be funny, a-and I didn't worry you wouldn't find it f-f-funny, and then stupid Barton made me- made me- and I just wanted to do worse to him, and -T-Tony..."

Why did everyone have to make him their therapist, uh? Tony sighed, stroking Loki's back as the young, poor idiot stuttered and cried. Stupid heat wave. Stupid, fucked up life.

"It's okay, Lock. It's okay, I know, I know. It was just a stupid joke; it's hardly the end of the world, alright? Stop crying, babe, it's fine, it's all fine..."

It took a long while for Loki to let it all out, sniffling and sobbing and swearing that he didn't want to be a bad person, that it had just come so naturally, and being so afraid about that last part; Tony waited patiently, stroking his lover's hair and only putting his foot down to promise that, no, he wasn't turning evil again, that he was just a kid doing stupid kid things, that it was normal he still had that sort of reflexes and instincts and he would get the hang of it eventually.

Dum-E, sent by Jarvis, brought a glass of water to the dehydrated boy once the tears were mostly over with. Loki dried his tears and curled up in Tony's lap to sip at the cold water, looking tired, but calmer.

"Better?" Tony questioned quietly, stroking the boy's dark hair.

"...I won't say sorry to Barton and Barnes," Loki said quietly, after a few moments. "But yeah."

"That'll do," Tony accepted with a brief smile. "And, babe?"

"What?"

"Give some brotherly love to Thor, will you? So he stops invading my work place to tell me how worried he is that his baby brother doesn't like him?"

"...He does that?"

"Yep. Way more often than I like."

"That's... actually pretty cute. That explains why he would take my side this morning..."

"Yeah, well," Tony sneered, "don't make a habit of exploiting him."

Loki offered him a corner smile, which Tony might have found worrisome had he not known his lover would be especially careful and self-analysing in the next few days when it would come to his 'evil' actions. Still, the smile didn't last much, as Loki lowered his eyes, seemingly just realising something.

"He saw me."

Yeah. They did need to address that particular elephant before it filled the room so much there was no escape. Tony bit at his tongue. This had been a weird two days, filled with too many emotions already, but this was an issue that had waited for a long while already.

Because yeah, he had underestimated just how much that Jötun adoption thing meant. He knew it made Loki agitated to even mention it, but he had never considered that the problem was external to his lover, too, until he had seen Thor taking that step back, seeing his brother's blue skin showing.

It hadn't been all surprise. There had definitely been revulsion, there, for a second. And Tony needed to clear a few things out.

"He did. And then he rushed to your side to see if you were okay, and he needed to be told three times before he left us alone."

Loki gave a weak smile at that, seemingly reassured, yet still agitated.

"I just... I would rather... It is not something I wish people to see."

"I know. And I'm sorry it happened before you were ready," Tony said, after a hesitation, gently taking his lover's hand in his. "But can I tell you something?"

"Let me guess," Loki chuckled nervously. "It doesn't matter? You love me even... Even knowing how I am meant to look?"

"You're acting like I would lie to comfort you, Lock."

"And you wouldn't?"

"I wouldn't. You would be able to tell, so what's the point?" Tony grinned, seeing a brief smile flash over the tired face of his partner. "No, what I want to say is: I love you. Especially now that I know that you can turn into something so ridiculously hot. Pardon my choice of words."

Loki appeared a hundred percent not convinced that Tony was serious. The billionaire tssk-ed at that lack of trust, and started again, voice insisting as he took Loki's cold hands in his.

"Did you ever take a serious look at yourself when you're blue? No, you didn't," he answered out loud for him before Loki could open his sassy mouth. "You looked at your hands, and you saw that they were blue, and your brain went, shit, that's an enemy, I need to kill it. Am I right?"

There was a painful silence. Tony was never getting over how fucked up Asgard (and his daddy-in-law) could be, but that was a tantrum for another time. Right now, his little lover looked at him as if wondering if he was reaching a point anytime soon.

"Let me tell you what you missed, then. Your eyes, Lock. They turn this crazy shade of red; not like Thor's cape or my suit, like a fucking gem that changes color again and again with the light, and it makes your eyes so deep, I wanted to stare for the entire day. And those scar things? I have zero ideas what they are, or how they can be there when you're blue and away when you're like this, and I wish you would let me find out. But they make you look so -so intriguing, like a map I just want to read."

"Tony," Loki interrupted with a tense smile, "please, don't. I -I appreciate what you are trying to do, but I... You cannot convince me there is beauty in- in something so despicable. The F... They are a race of monsters. Their eyes are red like the blood they crave, and the scars are but proof of the violence in their heart-"

"Said who? Odin?"

"Everyone with some common sense," Loki replied a little stiffly.

"Because we already established that Asgardian common sense means a lot."

"Tony, listen-"

"No, you listen, baby," Tony interrupted softly. "I know what you think. I know what Thor thinks. I get it. You were taught that's how things are. But you know I'm far from stupid, and you know I don't waste time on being nice. If I thought your Jötun skin was repulsive, I would say as much. Okay, I wouldn't say it, but I'd admit to it. I'd still love you, I would just -be grateful you don't like it either. But that's not the case,” he insisted to get back on tracks. “What I saw earlier in the living room was an absurdly gorgeous man with the most incredible, beautiful skin I ever looked at."

"Not -not a man," Loki cut, like he desperately needed to interrupt Tony for a few seconds, just for the sake of taking in everything he was saying.

"Not a man?" Tony repeated. Because that was unexpected alright.

"Not -they -they are, um. They are like... Like animals, in this regard. They have no gender. Or... Both. You know. Depending of how you put it."

"...First thing first: not animals, aliens. Second thing second: you are aware you're making me twice as desperate to get a close look at you, right?" Tony questioned, disbelieving.

It had the merit of making Loki laugh, if a little nervously. He was silent for a minute, toying with the fabric of Tony's shirt quietly.

"I'm not asking you to do something that makes you uncomfortable, babe," Tony finally offered. "But I just want you to consider it as an honest offer. I saw something beautiful, this afternoon. I truly did. So if you ever reach a point where you think that you're ready to take a look and try to see from my point of view, know that I'll be very interested. Okay?"

He stroked Loki's cheek as the boy's eyes seemed focussed on anything but his face, a frown twisting his features ever so slightly in his hesitation, before; finally, he glanced up and nodded, once.

"...Thanks, Tony."

"Hey," the engineer smiled. "No worries. I'm just gonna go out and get myself a doctorate eventually. C'me here, I'm kidding. Give your poor tired man a hug."

"Sorry I kept you from sleeping," Loki amended, doing just that, and smiling softly as he pulled back, still squeezing Tony's calloused hand in his pale, slender one.

"Bah. Don't worry about it, you're just going to be sex-deprived tonight when I go to bed at eight." 

"We'll see about that."

The playful jab had Tony grinning, relieved, before he got up and suggested that they went to take advantage of the pool together, now that he was done with his work.

He didn't realise Loki hadn't been joking, not before a few hours, after swimming and kissing and glaring at Clint and stopping a new war before it started with Steve's spaghettis, when he walked into their bedroom that night to find a blue beauty, which looked nothing like a Smurf, nor an Orc, lying on their bed, smiling at him a little nervously.

"...You don't have to rush things if you aren't ready", he reminded Loki, as though he wasn't openly staring already at what skin he could see -Loki's face, his arms, his bare feet; god, he had those markings even on his feet?

"I'm not looking in a mirror for now", Loki shrugged, voice slightly higher-pitched than was usual. "I'm just... working to get your attention?"

"Are you?" Tony smiled, shaking his head softly as he closed the door behind him and made it to the bed with slow steps, as though he feared his lover would jump and run away if he startled him. He sat on the mattress next to him, and, carefully, stroked his partner's wrist. The blue stayed, this time, as Loki shivered, deep red eyes following his fingers' strokes. His skin was cold, but not freezing as it had been earlier; he seemed to have a lid on it. "Lock... God..."

It was even more fascinating, up close, now that he could take his time to look. The room's lighting was dimmed, and made the contrast between the cobalt skin and the silver markings even deeper. Tony just couldn't look away, detailing his boyfriend's features, the shocking depth of those wide eyes, how younger, almost innocent, still, he looked with this skin, as though the dark color and delicate lines didn't yet know how to control its facade like the god usually did.

"N-not changing your mind, then?" Loki questioned, with a cocky smile that didn't hide much of his hesitations.

"If you don't stop looking so gorgeous, babe, I fear I'm gonna be exploring this no gender thing upclose very, very soon," Tony replied simply, smiling and meeting his lover's eyes. "That answers your question?"

"...Well... I mean, ah, amazing sex with you would, it certainly would distract me from how I look at the moment, if, if anything. And I- I have yet to..." Loki cleared his throat, and his cheeks actually turned violet, that adorable little idiot. "I have yet to experiment, per say, with this -this body's new options, so perhaps, it could help in making me endure it. Perhaps."

"Are you sure about this, Lock?" Tony questioned softly, stroking that adorable purple blush with the back of his fingers. "We can end it at that for now."

"Stop coddling me, old man," Loki retorted, with a grin that seemed to be getting actually confident in what he was saying. "It's been nearly two years. I think I'm starting to be old enough to know when I want to have sex with my lover."

"Two years? Already?" Tony whispered, raising an eyebrow, as he moved to straddle the young Jötun's hips, starting to unbutton his shirt. Loki kept his eyes on him, but he seemed to be calm enough, now, his attention away from his own appearance, for now. Tony, mentally, made a note to have Jarvis take a picture of them, later that night, to show Loki how beautiful he was.

"Two years", Loki repeated softly. "October 9th, it was, when I first asked you- oh."

"Sensitive, mmh?" Tony murmured, smiling, as he followed a delicate silver drawing in Loki's throat with his finger. "Just as you were that day."

"Still -still taking care of me like you did then, you silly, adorable human", Loki answered, closing his eyes as he arched up slightly in the touch. "Tony... I... Norns..."

"I know, Lock", the engineer smiled, stretching up for a frozen kiss. "I love you too."

Red eyes like deep rubies opened to meet his, all hesitation dying in them as they met a warm hazelnut gaze. Loki smiled in return, and wrapped an arm around Tony's neck, pulling him closer into the embrace.

**Author's Note:**

> This tiny, nonsensical shot was written after a suggestion of the-dreaming-grass, my amazing Frostiron Bang artist, upon thinking of how smug Loki would be in winter, looking at Tony shaking in his boot, yet how miserable he would be during heat waves. 
> 
> Steve is just the main victim of this story.


End file.
